Guilty Robots, Happy Dogs

The Question of Alien Minds

David McFarland

An accessible introduction to the fascinating questions that arise where the philosophy of mind meets artificial intelligence and animal behavior

Asks whether it is scientifically and philosophically justifiable to suppose that animals or robots could have minds like ours

Shows how different philosophical standpoints can lead to considerably different conclusions about the nature of non-human minds, and how these conclusions are of great relevance to topics such as animal welfare and cybernetics

Guilty Robots, Happy Dogs

The Question of Alien Minds

David McFarland

Description

When we interact with animals, we intuitively read thoughts and feelings into their expressions and actions. It is easy--often irresistible--to suppose that they have minds like ours. And as technology grows more sophisticated, we might soon find ourselves interpreting the behavior even of robots in human terms. But is our natural tendency to humanize other beings philosophically or scientifically justifiable? Can we ever know what non-human minds are really like? How different are human minds from the minds of animals or robots? In Guilty Robots and Happy Dogs, David McFarland offers an accessible exploration of these and many other intriguing questions, questions that illuminate our understanding the human mind and its limits in knowing and imagining
other minds. In exploring these issues, McFarland looks not only at philosophy, but also examines new evidence from the science of animal behavior, plus the latest developments in robotics and artificial intelligence, to show how many different--and often quite surprising--conclusions we can draw about the nature of minds "alien" to our own. Can robots ever feel guilty? Can dogs feel happy? Answering these questions is not simply an abstract exercise but has real implications for such increasingly relevant topics as animal welfare, artificial intelligence, and cybernetics. Engagingly and accessibly written, and thought-provoking from start to finish, Guilty Robots and Happy Dogs touches on the very nature of mind and its evolution. It is essential reading for anyone curious
about animal behavior, robotics, artificial intelligence, or the nature of the human mind.

Guilty Robots, Happy Dogs

The Question of Alien Minds

David McFarland

Author Information

David McFarland is well known for his studies in animal behavior and more recently the broadening of this understanding to "artificial ethology" and robotics. He is the author of a number of books, including Animal Behaviour: Psychobiology, Ethology, and Evolution, and OUP's Companion to Animal Behaviour as well as the OPR Animal Behaviour (2006).